One-Punch Man Season 2 [NO SPOILERS]

One Punch Man, One-Punch Man, OPM, Anime, Manga

From Hulu: Saitama only became a hero for fun, but after three years of “special” training, he finds that he can beat even the mightiest opponents with a single punch. Though he faces new enemies every day, it turns out being devastatingly powerful is actually kind of a bore. Can a hero be too strong?

What I liked:

We’re given an emotionally deeper story line this time around, which is something that the first season only tapped the surface with.
Humor is still an essential tool to the series, with some moments that I kept laughing about long after the episode was over.
Quirky characters are a staple of this series, and this season brings us some new faces.
Situations within the season get pretty serious, adding more weight to the overall plot.

What I didn’t like:

Let’s address the elephant in the room: The animation studio and the creative team from the first season did not work on this second season, and it shows. Many fans immediately disregarded the serious because of this development, some even boycotting it all together. There are two ways to look at this:
- You can just forget about the quality of the animation and just enjoy the show as a next chapter, as it brings some really interesting depth into the series. OR
- You can hold it against the fun world that you’ve already become a part of. SURE, the animation in season 1 was EFFING AWESOME, especially with how it used different animation techniques to tell its story. And yeah, some of those techniques made it feel like we were watching an animated version of the original One Punch Man webcomic’s sketchy and spirited art. I get all of that. But then if I hadn’t seen it, I would’ve missed out on some damn good storytelling.
The theme song for the second season is HORRIBLE. This is probably because the studio change OR it could be because anime traditionally changes their songs from season to season, which, by the way, I HATE SO MUCH. Why is it wrong to have one single theme song? It worked for Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Ball Z and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Things can’t leave iconic legacies if you keep switching them up.

Overall:

A well-told, “middle of the story” season. Many people won’t like it “just because”, and that’s fine. To each their own. But if you get a good story with some new characters plus some insight on older characters, then why not give it a fair shot? And yeah, hopefully season 3 can be a blend of the ambitiously animated first season and this deeper told second season.

Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He is also a news writer at DC Comics News. Jose is on Twitter and Instagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.

Castlevania Season 3 [NO SPOILERS]

Castlevania, Castlevania Netflix, Castlevania Season 3

From Netflix: “Belmont and Sypha settle into a village with sinister secrets, Alucard mentors a pair of admirers, and Isaac embarks on a quest to locate Hector.”

What I liked:

How events within the first two seasons have shaped Trevor and Sypha’s relationship.
Alucard’s dolls FOREVER.
The action sequences (once they finally get there) are always spectacular. The framing, the cutting, the music and even the bits of humor all add up to impeccably thrilling segments.
Sypha is still a babe. She’s strong, funny, warm and has some cool powers. Someone buy me her action figure please.
The voice work is superb. Each of the main character’s voices feels so natural, almost like the actor’s behind them are just being themselves.
I’ve been a follower of writer Warren Ellis for many many, years and the intro scene to episode 3 feels like the most “Warren Ellis” dialog sequence ever.

What I didn’t like:

Speaking of Warren Ellis, he’s very anti-Christianity, and this entire series seems to be a place for him to really vilify anything church related. It’s his series and he gets to do what he wants, but sometimes hammering one specific message (whichever way it leans) can be too much. I don’t remember the games being like this. Matter of fact, The Belmonts themselves use Holy Water as a weapon and throw a Cross as a boomerang. Even in the game Aria of Sorrow, the rooms where you can save your game are adorned with a statue of the Virgin Mary. Because of his atheist beliefs, I feel that Ellis (who admits to never playing the games) does his best to get as far away from the Faith-based monster-slaying as possible just because he doesn’t like that aspect.
Speaking of getting as far away, I think the series isn’t much of an adaptation anymore. Sure, it still has the name, character names and some monster cameos from the game series, but it’s no longer a directly translated anime version of that popular game series that’s been around for almost 40 years. It’s about as accurate a “Castlevania” adaptation as the “Super Mario Bros” movie was an accurate adaptation of the Super Mario Bros video game series. They just borrowed names. And I’m not saying Castlevania is as bad as that ’90s Mario Bros movie, I’m just saying it’s no longer telling a story based on those games, but merely borrowing a few elements from it and making it its own. Now, I’m all for experimenting, but that experimentation should still come with being faithful to the source material.
The first season was only four episodes. Four episodes that perfectly balanced the drama, action and humor into a delightful package. Season two double the episode count, adding a lot more drama into the mix. Season three is ten episodes, and EIGHT of them are nothing but dialog, with the occasional mystery thrown in. Think about that: EIGHT EPISODES OF PURE EXPOSITION. That’s FOUR HOURS of PEOPLE JUST TALKING, with the last hour saved for action. Can you imagine being in a movie theater and watching four hours of people talking? You’d leave. Too many talking heads revealing too many plots and subplots had me lost at many points.
And the story boarding during these many dialog sequences aren’t even interesting. I’ve seen better cinematography in the Instagram stories of people I follow!
Honestly, I found this season to be quite boring and fell asleep multiple times.
Although I was awake during most of it, the show is also too heavy on all the evil themes. I seriously need to watch something light hearted for a long while.

Overall:

There are times when writers and directors are given too much freedom by their bosses, which can lead to too many ideas getting lost in the product. It’s like children who had no rules as children going completely off the rails. That’s how I feel about this season, like the pace is getting out of hand and the story is deviating too far from the source material, with no one checking in. I don’t think I can handle another season, or would even like to try to watch it.

Invasion From Planet Wrestletopia (Issues 1 Through 5) (COMIC REVIEW)

Wrestletopia #1 cover by SBI Press, review by Quick Lunch Break Reviews

From Suspicious Behavior Productions: “When a disgruntled professional wrestler declares himself “Galactic Champion of the Universe,” Earth is invaded by a planet of wrestling aliens who view it as an act of war!”

What I liked:

Sharp, funny writing enhance this loving homage to professional wrestling from the ’80s and early ’90s, tapping everything from the wacky story lines, promotional merchandise and even wrestling magazines.
Enough backstory to give the main characters some real depth.
Clever dialog, with some real zingers.
An art style reminiscent of Darwyn Cooke, with solid character designs, action that’s easy to follow and (most importantly) nailing the emotional beats the drama calls for.

What I didn’t like:

I’ve enjoyed every panel and every word balloon of this series, so no dislikes here.

Overall:

Nostalgia can be a double-edged sword, choosing to “just exist” within a memory instead of using it to tell a new story. Thankfully, this series is the latter. Well-told throughout, it appeals to my (and the creators’) love of wrestling without sacrificing its own integrity.

You can pick up the first five issues at Comixology.

Gentefied (2020) (TV – Season 1)

From Netflix: “The Morales cousins scramble to save their grandfather’s taco shop — and pursue their own dreams — as gentrification shakes up their LA neighborhood.”

What I liked:

It really dissects gentrification and how it affects minorities in their respective communities. Displacement of long-time residents and business owners are the most prominent victims, but the show also displays how it can emotionally affect the working-class and artists too. It also shows how gentrification is a form of institutionalized racism, as it mostly affects marginalized people of color. Gentefied also uses gentrification as the base of the sky-rocketing costs of living in California, resulting in the explosion of the homeless.
Gentefied is brave enough to not provide an answer to any of it, as change is also a common thread throughout the ten episodes, presenting gentrification as a form of personal and financial growth that comes with heavy decisions and heavier consequences.
All the characters on the show are cast perfectly. The progressive group perfectly encapsulates what a true predominantly Hispanic/Latin/Latinx neighborhood of Los Angeles looks like, especially Boyle Heights (where the show takes place). Not since Gabriel Luna’s Ghost Rider episodes of Agents of Shield have I so often shouted “I know where that is!” at my tv.
Just because the show is about people of color that does not mean the themes within the show aren’t relatable to anyone else. Following dreams, running family businesses, deeply widening generation gaps and even first loves are all explored wonderfully throughout the season. Speaking of deeply widening generation gaps, that seems to be happening more and more in today’s society. “Grown-ups” are becoming more and more disconnected from today’s youth and youth culture, causing a major rift.
Grown-ups and growing up also plays a role in the show, including with how difficult it is for people of color to retire and still have a financially stable life.
Some of the episodes start with flashback sequences and THANKFULLY, those sequences were shot with filming techniques that were popular within whatever time frame the segments flashback to. Long time readers (and personal connections) should know that I LOOOOOOOVE when media pieces truly reflect a previous era.
The show’s soundtrack is THE PERFECT depiction of the many genres of music Hispanic-Americans grow up listening to.
Each episode runs around a half-hour, which is an impeccable run-time. It keeps the pacing tight and never feels like story lines are over-extended just to fill time commitments.
A minor jab at Chipotle! Sweet!

What I didn’t like:

That even though you select “Off”, Netflix still won’t turn off the dang subtitles when characters speak Spanish. I’m assuming this is because the show frequently changes between English and Spanish, which is a completely accurate depiction of what life in a bilingual household is like. But still, no chinguen.

Overall:

A trailblazing show not only for people of Hispanic/Latino descent, but a show with themes universal enough to reach other cultures. Told through heart, humor, distress and food, Gentefied proposes very real issues through very real characters and communities that affect all of us. Stream it on Netflix.

Protector (Issues 1 & 2) (COMIC REVIEW)

The Protector by Simon Roy, Daniel M. Bensen, Artyom Trakhanov, Jason Wordie and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

From Image Comics: “Of all the tribes that dwell in the hot ruins of far-future North America, the Hudsoni reign supreme, but even they fear and obey the godlike Devas. When the Devas warn of an old-world demon in the conquered city of Shikka-Go, Hudsoni war chief First Knife decides to deal with the threat personally.”

Editor’s note: I received review-copies of the first two issues of the series, so that’s what I’m basing this review on. I was provided an early look at issue #2, which hits newsstands soon.

What I liked:

The script is tight, with sharp pacing and a lack of exposition-heavy dialog, leaving you hungry to keep with the story. Seriously, I hate when characters tell you everything instead of letting us find things out within the story progression.
Strong compositions highlight the energetic art. It’s like Paul Pope, Daniel Warren and James Stokoe (who drew the first issue’s cover) had a child that blended their influences and *still* made it their own.
Speaking of the art, the character designs are dynamic, with each “Tribe” within the book having their own look. Happily reminds me of the Legend of Zelda video games.
Speaking of the “Tribes”, I’m heavily interested in their cultural and geographic makeup. I love that each issue has an appendix that gives you more insight into them and their roles within the world the story creates.

What I didn’t like:

Even if I nitpicked, I wouldn’t be able to find anything I did not enjoy.

Overall:

Just a great couple of issues that will pique your interest enough to stick around for all 5. A well-told action comic, with a dense world and possibly even more dense story line. Purchase issue #1 digitally here or at your local comic book shop, and keep your eyes out for the rest of the series. Issue two will be released on February 26, 2020, with a cover price of $3.99.

Check out our other comic and comic book related reviews here.

THROUGH LEVELS OF LOVE: How Link And Zelda Taught Me About Romance & Commitment

Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Link, Zelda, Nintendo, Relationships, Love

Editor’s note: Hi everyone! Please welcome our guest collaborator Victoria Janelle Wright, editor-in-chief over at The Feather Mag! With this collaboration, we wanted to present an alternate perspective on relationships through video games, as well as highlighting how people can interpret objectives differently. Enjoy!

There are a few reasons why I enjoyed certain video games so much growing up:

The challenge to win and characters often based in fantastical worlds.
My slowing receding yet still very real introversion.
And the story line, often related to a love story about a die hard protagonist embarking on a dangerous yet valiant quest to save his or her love interest.

Cliche? Outdated? Narrow-minded? Perhaps, depending on how you perceived the story lines in the games that had me hooked on their super inflated love stories. What might not be so cliche is not a young girl interested in a fairy tale love storyteller. Instead my infatuation with the game play and story line was actually a mirror of how devoted i was to my causes and the people I cared about in life, and my perpetual tendency to disallow people to do the same for me.

My first experience with this narrative was playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with some friends one Sunday after church when I was about 10-years-old.

It wasn’t even my game – I simply was the bright-eyed passenger watching my friend drive through the game like his life depended on it. However, I wasn’t too caught up with the actual game play – my attention was focused on when Link would make it back to Zelda. To me, the idea of someone being so focused on reaching another that they would literally go through hell and back was the true definition of devotion, and I wanted to experience it further.

So I begged my mom to take me to Blockbuster (still miss it), and I rented my own version of the game. And when I tell you I was devoted to freeing Princess Zelda from Ganondorf’s clutches, there was no stopping me from leaving my seat in front of the console.

I was hooked. I had always had a big imagination as a kid, and the fantastical themes of many of the role playing games I played fit my interest. But what kept me coming back was the thrill of fighting for love. In Final Fantasy X, it was Tidus’ willingness to do anything to stop Yuna from essentially sacrificing herself to save the world. In Kingdom Hearts, It was Sora’s unproclaimed love for Kira that ultimately got him to leave his tiny island and set sail to rescue her from a literally heartless enemy.

As I got older, my responsibilities and interest began to shift and video games inevitably became less of a priority. But my focus on devoted love didn’t leave, and I began to seek that out in my external environment. I question if friends and lovers would fight for me the way I fought for them. I wonder if anyone would come to my rescue, from worst case scenarios like a late night phone call from the hospital to lighter experiences such as needing to borrow a couple of dollars for parking when I didn’t have cash readily available. I registered all these questions internally, allowing the anxiety to become heavier and heavier. Because of this mistrust, I eventually became impenetrable with sharing my emotions and needs, believing that showing that level of vulnerability would make me appear weak and needy. On the surface I was the friend who could always help, the person who could always be there when things seemed dire. But when it came to asking for that help from others, I was stumped.

Now reflecting as an adult, what I learned from playing these games is that I wasn’t enamored with the how a character was being rescued, but instead the games mirrored how devoted I was in love. But I was too scared to ever let those feelings surface, so I kept them buried.

Of course, building those fantasies in your life eventually leads to the scenarios you so desperately are trying to avoid in the first place. Eventually the weight of keeping my vulnerabilities locked up became harder than the quest itself, and I let go and shared my trust and heart for the Zelda’s in my life.

We hang on so tight to control our lives, but it’s a fallacy. Life isn’t a video game – there is no cheat sheet, no do overs when you die – it’s the “here and now” that matters most. And when that sinks in and you allow things to flow to you, including help and love, it does make things a bit more fantastical. Even at times, magical. It might not always be easy to do so, but then again, what game have you played that you really enjoyed and was super easy? It is the hardest quest that is the most rewarding when we see how far we’ve come, how many levels we’ve beaten to get the thing we were most devoted to from the start.

Victoria Janelle Wright is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Feather Mag, a digital publication that explores how self-care, self-discovery on culture intersect. You can read more of her musings on the human experience and other stories at www.thefeathermag.com

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn MOVIE REVIEW

From IMDb: “After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.”

Editor’s note: The studio actually officially changed the title of the movie to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey after the movie’s not-good opening weekend box-office.

What I liked:

Places female empowerment at the forefront, but not in a cliched or heavy-handed “message-y” way.
Touches on toxic relationships but also never gets cliched or heavy-handed.
Fun and inventive action sequences, with some of them being quite violent and gruesome.
FINALLY, Gotham City returns to the streets of L.A.! Los Angeles has not been home to Gotham since the 60s Batman tv show. I see you, Santee Alley!
“The Booby Trap” is the most fun and unique set I have seen in a looooong time.
The soundtrack is full of energetic tunes that really add to the vibrancy of the movie. I haven’t listened to the full album yet, but the Doja Cat track is my favorite so far.
Great cinematography. This movie has some strong compositions and the color palette is amazing.
The script’s dialog (and narration) by Bumblebee’s writer Christina Hodson is quite witty, and had me laughing. Please note that this movie is not a comedy, I’m just a fan of quippy dialog.
I’m not familiar with director Cathy Yan‘s work, but I thought she did a kick ass job blending feminism, heart, crime and super-heroics into one movie.
Man, the posters for this movie were so unique. This one is my favorite.
Really dug the modernization of the costumes. Hopefully we could see some action figures down the road.
[SPOILER ALERT] (highlight the text to read) SO….Black Canary (the only super-powered person in the Birds of Prey team) shares a power with my favorite X-Man Banshee (and his daughter Siryn) called the “Sonic (or “Supersonic”) scream”. It’s one of my favorite powers AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT. When Canary finally gets to release her “Canary Cry” upon some goons IT MADE ME SO HAPPY seeing it on the big screen that I teared up. I’M NOT KIDDING. No one will feel the same way I do and that’s ok, but man it got me PUMPED.

What I didn’t like:

The movie jumps around the timeline a lot in the beginning, and I was starting to get a little lost.
[SPOILER ALERT] (highlight the text to read) This isn’t much of a “Birds of Prey” origin story, and really only borrows the title from a popular DC Comics all-female team. This is Harley’s movie, and because of that we don’t get to spend much time with the other “Birds”. They could’ve kept them in there to set up their own movie, but made the title of *this* movie “Harley Quinn’s Fantabulous Emancipation” or “the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”. Either would’ve made more sense.

Editor’s notes: These next points have nothing to do with the actual quality of the movie:

It sucks that it didn’t make good money opening weekend, and people are already considering it a bomb. (SAD FACE EMOJI). We probably won’t see a true Birds of Prey sequel featuring Black Canary, Huntress, Renee (and also maybe Oracle), which makes me more sad because those three actresses KILLED it.
Hopefully it gains “cult classic” status. The movie kind of reminded me of Scott Pilgrim vs the World, a fantastic film that also unfortunately did not make the money that the studio had hoped but had a great shelf-life on home video.

Overall:

My favorite film within the “DCEU” so far. Original, wild, vibrant; And it definitely earns it’s R rating. A “Girl Gang” movie with swagger, humor and the best breakfast sandwich you will ever see. A total blast of a film.

Big Chicken in Glendale, CA (FOOD REVIEW)

From the Big Chicken website: “Bok Bok! Big Chicken is serving up some of the best chicken sandwiches with the BIGGEST flavor of all time.

With taste at the forefront, Big Chicken delivers a menu that fuses home-cooked childhood favorites with bold new flavors. Come try our signature dish Lucille’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese, just the way mom made it – but with a crispy Cheez-It® crust! Now with two locations. Big Chicken Las Vegas is located just off of the Las Vegas Strip and Big Chicken Glendale is across from The Americana at Brand. Big Chicken aims to create a fun family haven that both comforts and delights.”

Fried chicken sandwiches have become very popular over the last year.

Everyone remembers the chaotic demand for the Popeye’s chicken sandwich, and places like Chick-fil-A have their own devoted consumers. Then we have the independent places like Howlin’ Ray’s, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Phat Birds, three businesses that can feature high demand.

Enter Big Chicken, a fried chicken sandwich shop established by NBA Hall of Famer, actor, commercial spokesperson, entrepreneur, etc., Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal.

I went on a FRIGID Tuesday Night to the Glendale location, and the place was pretty full. There’s plenty of room to sit, as well as a “bar” area in case you’re by yourself like me. Sitting at that bar pits you either in front of the pickup area or the open kitchen, which was quite loud and chaotic since it was the second day after opening.

But even with all the people there and the hysteria of “opening week madness”, I didn’t have to wait long for my food. I ordered the “M.D.E.”, which is their basic / default sandwich (btw, M.D.E. stands for “Most Dominant Ever”, a nod to Shaq’s playing days in the NBA).

The fried chicken filet within the sandwich was a decent size and had some flavor. Rounding out the sandwich were Brioche buns, pickles and the tasty “Shaq Sauce”. The size of the sandwich runs about the same as the Popeye’s chicken sandwich, but is almost $4 more expensive and doesn’t have as strong a flavor. But that’s just my opinion. Some will prefer this over any other fried chicken sandwich, and that’s fine.

There are three drink dispensing stations: one featuring two types of lemonade, the new Pepsi Spire digital fountain (which is Pepsi’s version of the Coke’s Freestyle digital fountain) and a Stubborn Soda fountain, which is what I chose.

My least favorite item I had that night was/were(?) the fries. They were thin cut steak size, which was fine. They were greasy and quite soggy, which was not fine. Occasionally, grease would drip from the fries, and because they were so soggy, I’d have to hold them over my mouth and drop them in, like a fish catching a worm. Also, they had very little flavor. There was no seasoning on them, which was disappointing. There was a nearby condiment station, where you could pickup external packets of basic salt and pepper, plus a few sauces to dip your food in. I nabbed some extra Shaq Sauce and Honey Mustard to give the fries a spark.

I want to end talking about the service. Even though the crowd was big and the tension was bigger, the service was quick and friendly. As I mentioned earlier, I was seated in front of the pickup area, which was being run by the Head Chef. At one point, he looked over at me and sincerely apologized for me having to witness such craziness.

Overall: A good sandwich, but pricey for its size. The fries could be better but that won’t deter me from trying it again. There are plenty of other sandwich and side-order options. Shout-out to the quick service and friendly staff.